Upside Down
by SoUsay234
Summary: What happens when James and Sirius stay over at Lily's house for a week?
1. Prologue

**Upside Down**

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**Disclaimer: **I own absolutely nothing… well… when the subject is famous books anyway…

**Dedicated to Smile Life Away the most awesomest person ever (yeah, I'm aware the word **_**awesomest **_**doesn't exist but awesome doesn't cover it) – because without her (and her crazy dreams) this wouldn't exist. I hope this turns out to be what she had in mind. **

(A/N: Please leave a review if you favorite and/or alert)

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It all began with a letter, a strange way to begin things. But really, the entire situation had turned out to be strange and much more complicated than the letter could ever hope to be.

_Mom, _

_It's been a while.  
I know, I know, I've been terribly neglectful – I should write more… I know, I'm sorry. But my life's been terribly hectic lately and I didn't want to write just to whine about it.  
First, I had to study for exams – which I did really well in, by the way. And then there was the ball I had to plan; that was a lot of fun but pretty tiring! I ended up decorating the way you suggested, with the white and green and I added a little touch of magic and had 'snow' falling from the ceiling (it was glitter, really, and it took a while but I managed to stop it from falling on the tables.) The Great Hall looked so pretty – I took some pictures so I could show you. Potter was a great help too – he made the whole menu up and it was really kind of funny because he kept running up to me between classes and would be like:"Taste this – do you think it has too much cinnamon?" he was so nervous, it was actually kind of cute (And, no, mom, I'm not 'warming up to him' so don't start.) The only thing I didn't follow your advice on was the Christmas-trees, because not everyone in Hogwarts celebrates Christmas so I thought it would be easier to have a 'Winter Theme'…_

_I got a dress for that Christmas party you told me you're doing; it's silvery-green and I really liked it (Alice kept babbling on about how it looked really good on me, so I guess that's a good sign; plus, it had a huge discount.) It's has a really… Grecian style. AND I got heels too; you can't say I don't love you… _

_I did get that letter about Tuney's wedding, and – for the record – I did write an answer… I never sent it thought (found that out this morning when I was cleaning my trunk) which, I guess, explains why you never answered…. I bought her something anyway – No, it's not magic, of course; it's a huge, huge make up box (She was really into that last time I saw her, I hope she still is…) and I got her a necklace and a pair of earrings for Christmas (they're made of strings of silver petunias.)_

_Anyway, I should stop babbling and tell you the bad news already. Alice says I tend to do that – bore people to death before I get into the bad news so that, by the time I do, they're ignoring me anyway… But I guess there's really no chance of that happening with you – moms don't ignore their daughters… plus, you could just skip ahead… _

_Well…. Turns out Potter's parents are Aurors and there's this official convention the first week of Winter Break and Potter's parents wrote me because "James talks so much about me they figured I was a nice girl" and asked me if he – well, they… because his friend, Black, lives with them for some reason) could stay at our house for that week because Mrs. Potter doesn't want his poor baby to have to spend Winter Break at school and since Remus (another of Potter's friends) is going to America for the holiday and she never really got along with Pettigrew's (another friend) parents, she figured she'd ask me…. She was so nice and kept saying that I sounded like such a sweet, decent girl who wouldn't turn his boys away and I just couldn't say no – because that would've been rude, wouldn't it? I hope you don't mind. And, you've been saying you want to meet James or a while now… _

_James is not that bad – he can be mature and helpful and nice when he wants to. It's really the 'dynamic duo' I'm worried about. I guess it's a good thing Tuney spends as much time as you say she does over at Vernon's – I don't think she'll take kindly to Potter and Black. _

_So, now, the only thing I have left to say is thank you (because I'm sure that as soon as you stop reading you'll go get the house ready) and sorry (for telling you on such short notice) _

_See you in a few days.  
Love,  
Lily_

_PS – You think you could ask dad what sweets he wants this time for me?  
PS 2 – That reminds me, I got you something too – it's magic, but I think you'll find it really useful =0)_

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"Lily!" Sirius Black shouted, throwing the door to the compartment door open and sitting himself between the two girls that were inside. He looped an arm around the already angry-looking Lily Evans and cackled. "Aren't you really excited about having me stay at your house for a _full _week? We can have sleepovers and talk about boys and do our make-up…"

Lily winced, sighing and glaring at Sirius – she was not happy about the situation and Black was not making it any easier. It was going to be a long, long week. She was about to say something when she heard a chuckle from the door and turned to find James Potter standing there, arms crossed in front of him.

"Could've told me you were gay before, mate," he stated, the corners of his lips turning up slightly. James let out another chuckle as he walked into the compartment and sat down in front of the other three. The brunette, Alice rolled her eyes, pushing Sirius off as he tried looping an arm around her shoulders.

"Lily!" She shouted, pushing him away and glaring at her best friend. Lily looked from James to Sirius and sighed standing up.

"Okay, fine…" She took another deep breath and glowered at the two boys who were looking up at her innocently. "I have something to say to you, and I want you to pay attention."

"Yes, ma'am," Sirius chuckled, mock-saluting her before he went back to inspecting his shoes.

Lily pursed her lips before crossing her arms, wand grasped tightly in her right hand before she spoke. "If you don't want me to kick your asses out of my house before the week is over, and by that I mostly mean you, Black, you're going to have to behave. Which means no pranks," At this she sent a glare in Black's direction, who just looked back at her innocently, an eyebrow raised, "and absolutely no magic." She sighed. "At least not in front of my sister. Got it?" James nodded solemnly as Sirius stood up and walked toward the door of the compartment again, his hand pressed against his forehead dramatically.

"Always so distrustful!" he muttered before he exited the compartment, leaving the other three staring after him. Lily made a face before sitting down again and tapping her fingers on her knee nervously.

James cleared his throat as he stood up and was almost out of the door before he spoke again, "I'm sorry about Sirius," he muttered quietly turning to look at her, Lily blinked at him for a few seconds.

"It's not your fault," she said finally at which James shrugged, ruffling his hair.

"His attitude – he's always been like that. It's just who he is," he continued, giving her a small smile as he gave another step out of the compartment. Lily nodded, not really sure of what to say to that. "But he can be mature when he wants to be… and he's a good friend. He'll behave, don't worry."

Lily blinked, momentarily surprised at the obvious loyalty and caring in his voice. It was times like this that almost made her change her mind about James. Almost. She was pulled out of her reverie when Frank Longbottom walked into the compartment, waving at her and James before sitting down next to Alice.

"You're a good friend," Lily said finally, walking out into the hallway next to James as he held out his hand to her, clearly intending to leave Alice alone with her boyfriend. He chuckled, looking out of the window on the other side of the hallway, before turning to look back at her.

And suddenly, Lily felt trapped. One of the things that had changed last year, besides James' behavior, was Lily's behavior towards James. Which was just another factor in the terrible realization that she was stuck with him in her house for a week. Before, she had always taken care to avoid him whenever he was near her, but then there had been that accident involving James and an armchair. But it hadn't really been Lily's fault, how could she have known he had been sleeping there? It had been dark and he should've been in his room anyway.

But now, all she could do was stare up into his deep, hazel eyes, feeling slightly light-headed and fuzzy as every other girl in Hogwarts did in his presence. Damn him. Damn James Potter. It only got worse when he smiles and whispered a husky: _Thank you, _and she found herself wanting him to turn away, or maybe stay where he was and tuck the strand of hair that was tickling her cheek.

That what was he was doing…

She jumped away, colliding painfully with the door to the compartment behind her. She cringed and rubbed her back keeping her eyes on the carpet at her feet, silently thanking Merlin for the door that had knocked her out of her trance.

"I'll… uh… see you at the station, ok?" she asked fumbling with the latch of the door at her back and grudgingly looking up at him.

"Sure." His voice was quiet, almost embarrassed, and Lily noticed – with a twang of guilt – that he looked slightly tense as he walked away.

This promised to be a long week indeed.


	2. Chapter One

**UPSIDE DOWN  
- CHAPTER ONE –

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**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

(A/N: Come on guys, I have almost twice the amount of alerts and favorites than reviews :| Remember, reviews keep updates coming.)

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"So… that's your family?" Sirius asked as they stepped out of the platform 9¾ and onto King's Cross. Lily nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as they walked toward her parents. "Interesting," he mused. "I always thought your sister was petty hot." At this, both James and Lily turned to look at him wide eyed. Sirius cleared his throat uncomfortably before he tried to explain. "Well, it's just that Lily is a really good looking girl and… one would think that…" He cleared his throat again when he noticed the glare he was receiving from his best friend. "So, yeah…"

"Mom. Dad," Lily said, giggling as her father pulled her into a bear hug. After her dad finally let go she turned to hug her mom (who'd gotten a little teary and turned to Petunia, arms held wide as if expecting a hug – something Petunia only scoffed at before rolling her eyes and turning around. Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair and turning to look back at James and Sirius. "So, Mom, Dad, this are James Potter and Sirius Black," she explained, pointing at each of them.

"Sir," James said, sounding so formal it was startling, as he shook her father's hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Call me Ted," Her father answered, smiling. "Pleasure is all mine. My Lily, here, talks about you a lot."

"She does?" James asked, sneaking a glance at Lily, head tilted. She blushed, trying to look anywhere but at him, failing miserably, and finally giving a shrug.

"Mostly complaints, honey," her mother interrupted, giving James a smile as he pulled him into a hug. "I'm Jessica."

"And you, son," Ted continued, giving Sirius (who was now checking his fingernails distractedly) a distrustful glance, "must be Sirius Black."

"Yeah. That's me. Thanks for having us," he said, shaking Ted's hand. He turned to look at Lily's mom, standing there for a few minutes uncomfortably before she pulled him into a hug.

"Oh, come here. Everyone deserves a hug when they get back from school." And Sirius' face, for some strange reason, fell a bit at the words.

"So, come on. Let's get you home, shall we?" Ted said, taking Lily's trunk from James and leading the way toward the car.

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"Welcome home," Lily said as she lead the boys into the room they would be staying in. "This is your room. The bathroom's over there, and my room is there if you need anything… James what are you doing?" she asked when she noticed James leaning in front of the television, staring at it as if it was something from outer space.

"What's this?"

Lily couldn't help but laugh at this. "It's a TV. You can watch movies and stuff there. Look," she muttered reaching out to turn it on. James seemed fascinated as soon as a show came on, but Sirius yelped, pointing at it and holding his face.

"Why are they trapped there? Is it like a cage?" A question, which only sent Lily into hysterics - leaving both boys staring at her confused.

"No. Real people act that, and then some other people record it – like a moving photograph that always plays the same."

"Oh. Right, I knew that," Sirius muttered.

"Of course you did, mate."

"Well, I'm going to go to my room. If you need anything, just knock," Lily said, waving a little before she walked to her room, closing the door behind her.

**..ooO0Ooo..**

James couldn't believe it. He was actually here, this was actually happening. He was at Lily's house. Lily Evans, the girl who had been avoiding him for nearly seven years, was actually letting him (and Sirius, but he didn't really count) stay at her house. For a week. He grinned at the thought.

After a moment his grin was replaced by a look of determination when he took a step toward Lily's room. He would spend time with her; he had to convince her that he was _worth _her attention. That he, James Potter, was worth having a conversation with… they could maybe even be friends… maybe even more than friends. But after seven years, that was probably going to far. And Lily Evans was the most stubborn girl he had ever met.

As he knocked he was momentarily dumbfounded again and all thought of his plans cleared from his head. He was actually there; the thought was still a little hard to assimilate.

Then she opened her door, and was looking at him curiously. She'd changed, and was now wearing a white sundress that made her eyes and hair stand out. Merlin, she was so beautiful.

"James? What are you doing standing there?"

"I… uh…" He cleared his throat in an attempt to gain time. "Sirius and I were wondering if you would like to come get some ice-cream with us?"

"Oh." She smiled a bit, absentmindedly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Why did she have to look so nice? It was hard to concentrate. "Sure, why not?"

"Cool." James grinned at her, gesturing to Sirius behind his back to come stand next to him.

"What's up, Prongs?" Sirius asked as he came to stand next to him. "Did you know there's this little box with buttons that makes the TV change?"

"She said she's coming with us."

Sirius frowned. "Cool." A pause. "Where are we going?"

"Ice cream, Padfoot. Remember?" James asked, elbowing him as Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Oh! Ice cream! Right!" He chuckled, an almost maniacal smile twisting his lips. "Come on, Lily-kins. Let's go get some ice cream."


	3. Chapter Two

**UPSIDE DOWN  
****- CHAPTER TWO –

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**Disclaimer: **If I owned this, would I be on FF?  
(A/N: My New Year's resolution is to finish this… so… encourage me with reviews, pretty please?)

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Lily had never been one for sleeping in, so the fact that Sirius Black was apparently capable of sleeping for most of the day was a bit odd. At school, he was always up for breakfast, maybe looking a bit sleepy – but awake, nonetheless. Then again, she mused as James winked at her from the other side of the kitchen as he helped her mom cook lunch, Sirius' earliness in Hogwarts was probably due to him.

She smiled a little as James walked past her, still wearing the flowery apron Lily's mom had given him before they'd started cooking.

"You know, James," she said resisting the urge to laugh, "I never thought of you as much of a cook."

He smiled, reaching up to ruffle his hair with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, well. We all have our hidden talents." He gave her a grin then and accompanied the statement with a small, absurd courtesy, using the apron as a skirt of sorts. Lily giggled, rolling her eyes at him.

"Maybe Lily can show you around town after lunch, James," Jessica said as she came to the table with the rest of the food, gesturing for him to seat down. "Should we wake your friend up?"

James sat down at the table next to Lily, apron and all. "I don't think he'd appreciate it too much. So, if you don't mind…"

"Of course not. I'll give him something to eat when he wakes up."

"Thank you," James answered absentmindedly as he watched Lily magically serve the food. "So, where's… um… Petunia?"

Lily looked down at her plate. "She went out with a friend of hers."

James looked up, smiling, then began digging into his food. Once he had swallowed a good amount of it he turned to Jessica smiling. "This is amazing. Lily, your mom is like the best cook ever."

Lily laughed. "Wait until you taste the cookies my dad makes. They're even better."

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"So… where are we going?" James asked as he followed Lily to a small station curiously. She turned to look but at him and grinned.

"Well, my mom suggested that new coffeehouse. But, I'm bored so…

"So?"

"You're going to one of my favorite places." Lily smiled, handing him a ticket and guiding him to a set of stairs.

"Cool."

"Yeah. Normally I go at lunchtime and I eat at this great fish and chips restaurant, but we already ate. So, if you want to try it we could stay there until dinner."

"Your favorite place is the restaurant?" James asked looking back at her as she pushed him into the subway cart. Lily giggled and shook her head.

"No. Just the general area. It has these bunch of little stores: an antiques shop, a bookstore… And then there's this little café – the owner's a squib and she's really nice. She isn't there most of the time, though. I think you'd like her – if she's there."

"Yeah?"

Lily nodded again, smiling up at him. "And I don't think my mom will mind us staying until dinner since you're with me, but I'll call her in a while to let her know."

"Know what?"

"That we're staying. You have to try those fish and chips – I don't think wizards eat them, and it's like a muggle specialty."

"Mm." James couldn't help the smile creeping it's way onto his lips as he watched Lily chattering away. He stepped closer to her, leaning against the post she was holding on to, and his smile grew bigger when she didn't pull away. "So, what's the deal with you and Petunia?" he asked, hoping he had not just ruined the mood of the moment.

Lily's nose wrinkled ever so slightly and he found himself thinking she looked quite cute when she did that. "Petunia…," she hesitated, as if she was looking for the right words to explain it. "Petunia isn't like my parents… she actually kind of hates me since we found out I'm a witch. And, well, her fiancé is just like her… just as serious."

James nodded, not sure if he should say anything, but Lily spoke again without him prompting her.

"My parents love the fact that I'm a witch." She laughed, blushing a bit as she looked at him. "Well, you saw them. They love it when I do anything magic around them. My mom even likes to 'help' me with homework even though she has no idea what it's about. I think they quite like you, actually. Especially my dad."

Merlin. What was going on with her mouth? She was having one of those moments in which your mouth just won't listen to your brain no matter how hard you try to shut it up. Still, she couldn't quite bring herself to regret it, and James wasn't laughing at her – actually, he was grinning, shyly she noticed, but still grinning and she couldn't help the blush that followed that realization.

"So, this is our stop," she said, reaching for his hand and pulling him through the subway station.

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"It's starting to rain," Lily noted as they walked down one of the streets lined with small, colorful shops. James looked down at her, conscious of the fact that they were still holding hands and elated because she hadn't pulled away.

"Should we go find someplace to stay?"

She shook her head walking a little bit closer to him almost unconsciously. "It's okay. It's not like a little rain'll kill us."

"Well, it could. You could walk in front of a bus, or fall down and break a leg," James said and smiled when she blinked up at him.

"Right… It could happen," she said, making a face. He gave her a lopsided grin, reaching out to place his arm around her and holding his breath. He was surprised when she didn't pull away. "You know, maybe we should go find a place to stay, if not you'll get all soggy – and what kind of date will you be, then?" she asked smiling up at him and blushing crimson when she realized what she'd just said. James looked down at her, grinning like Christmas had come early.

"You look cute when you blush."

"Uh… thanks?"

"You're welcome," he answered, pulling her tighter against him as they walked and the rain got progressively heavier until finally his long, messy hair was completely plastered to his forehead and little drops of water were dripping from his glasses. Lily laughed, making him looked down at her again. "I hope you aren't laughing at me, Miss Evans."

"No. Of course not."

"It kind of sounded like you did."

Lily smiled. "Well, what are you going to do about it, you big baby?" James smirked, picking her up and walking toward a small fountain that was a few feet away. "No! Put me down! James, I'm getting all wet!"

He laughed, "Don't worry, you won't even notice the rain once you're in the fountain."

"Fountain?" Lily squeaked, eyes widening. "Okay, James, I'm sorry for laughing at you."

"Oh, I know," he chuckled. "I'm just doing it for the fun of it," he explained jovially before throwing her into the icy cold water.

"POTTER!" She shouted, standing up and looking around for him.

"Yes, Lily?" he answered from behind her and she whipped around startled. He was standing dripping wet, one of the streams of water landing directly on his head, and grinning like his life depended on it. She couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth with her hand slightly.

"Not laughing at me again, are you? I may just have to-" He didn't get to finish his statement though as she pushed him under and scrambled to get out of the fountain. "Lily Evans, come back here you coward!" he shouted once he surfaced, pulling her back toward him and laughing when she let out a little scream. She huffed, splashing him with a little bit of water and then crossing her arms over herself.

"I'm starting to get cold, James," she admitted, rubbing her arms. He laughed, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. It didn't help much, as he was just as cold and wet as she was, but it felt kind of right to have him hugging her that way.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked, sounding a bit disappointed as he pulled back to look at her. Lily shook her head.

"No! But I was wondering if maybe you'd like to get some hot chocolate… or coffee, if you prefer. But the chocolate's better."

"Sure," he said, lending her a helping hand to help her get out of the fountain. He didn't let go of her hand afterward as they continued walking down the street and finally into a small, red shop.

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"I can't believe it's still raining," Lily muttered as they walked outside the restaurant. James laughed. "We finally managed to get dry."

"Well, you do know we could just use a bubble spell or something, right?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah. Well, we could also apparate back home, but I wanted you to see muggle London."

"It's a nice place," James smiled offering her his hand as they walked down the subway stairs again.

"I did have a great time, though. Despite everything," Lily said smiling up at James as they stood facing each other, rocking slightly with the movement of the car.

"I'm sorry," he muttered shamefully. "With throwing you into the fountain, and then using magic in that restaurant and…"

"Shut up, James," she said softly, smiling up at him. He looked down, blushing slightly.

"We should do this again sometime. I promise to not throw you into any fountains."


	4. Chapter Three

**UPSIDE DOWN  
****- CHAPTER THREE –

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**Disclaimer: **So… I'm still not her, but I'll let you know when it happens =03  
(A/N: Leave a review? Pretty please? And this goes to anyone who was wondering what happened to Sirius. =0)

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"Lily? James? Are you guys there?" Sirius asked jumping down the stairs through the already half-dark Evans' home.

"Who is it?" Came a voice from the living room and Sirius looked up to find himself standing in front of Lily's mom. She was holding a book in her hands and looked so much like Lily at the moment that Sirius had to force back a laugh.

"It's me. Um… Sirius Black."

"Hey, honey! Did you sleep okay?" she asked as he walked down the remaining steps.

"Yeah. The bed is really comfortable. I just stayed up a little bit late watching that box in our room. The TV," he added remembering the name Lily had used the day before. "So… um...where are Lily and James?"

"Lily went to show James around London. They wanted to take you but you were asleep."

"Oh. It's okay," Sirius muttered, scratching the back of his head. James was probably enjoying his day with Lily more than he would if he were there too.

"Are you hungry? There's still a bit of lunch left. Do you want some?"

"Yeah. That would be awesome, thanks," Sirius answered grinning just as his stomach growled, following Lily's mom into the kitchen.

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"Here," Jessica said, setting down the plate in front of Sirius and sitting down on the chair in front of him. "So, how are your parents?"

"Um…," Sirius started awkwardly, playing around with the food on the plate. "I actually haven't talked to my parents for a while," he muttered, glancing up at Lily's mom and shrugging apologetically. "I kind of ran away from home last year. And I've been living with the Potters since then – they're great."

"I'm sorry."

Sirius smiled, "It's okay, I mean – I never really liked any of them anyway. Maybe my brother – but he went off to hang out with these weirdo's at school and changed a lot, he kind of hates my ass since then."

"Lily and Tuney don't get along too well either. I think Tuney feels a bit betrayed, you know, since she isn't magic. They used to be the best of friends when they were little," Jessica smiled. "I wish they'd try and talk things out, especially Tuney." She looked up at Sirius, tilting her head to the side. "You should send a letter to your brother – I don't think he hates you."

Sirius shrugged, taking a gulp. "This is great," he said, pointing to the food. Jessica smiled.

"Thank you." She looked at her watch and then at Sirius.

"Do you think James has a chance?" Sirius asked suddenly, looking up at her and tilting his head to the side. "He's been in love with Lily for like five years and… well, I don't want him to get hurt."

Jessica smiled. "I think he does. She doesn't let just anyone come to her house – or take them to her favorite place. Just don't tell her I said anything – this stays between us."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I have to go to the grocery store to buy some stuff for dinner," she said as she watched him finish the remaining food on his plate. "Would you care to come? Lily called a while ago and said she and James were going to eat dinner at some restaurant she likes, so I think they won't come back until later."

"Yeah, sure." Sirius answered, standing up and pointing his wand at the dirty plate. "I'll just clean this."

"That's not-" Jessica started just as Sirius handed her back the clean plate with a grin and a shrug.

"Having a wizard around does have its advantages," he said winking. "So… are we going to go in one of those cars?"

"Yeah."

"Brilliant! They're so much cooler than our brooms."

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"What do you guys do for fun?" Jessica asked as they walked down one of the aisles, Sirius looking around wide-eyed.

"We have this sport called quidditch. It's played on brooms and each team has seven players and there are four balls. So, there's a goalie and three chasers - they try to score and the goalie has to stop them, they used the ball called _quaffle_. Then there are two guys who beat around this balls called _bludgers _and try to hit the other players and throw them off their brooms. And there's this guy, the chaser, and he has to catch the _snitch_. When he does the game is over."

"Sounds interesting."

"It's great. James and I are on the team, Lily has never liked quidditch, though – so she isn't, but she is a really good flyer."

"I never knew she liked to fly."

"James found out one night when they kind of bumped into each other. I shouldn't be telling you this, but your daughter likes to go out at night to get her mind of things – so she goes flying. James does that too."

"I did know that." Jessica laughed. "She likes to go walking around at night when she's stressed out."

Sirius smiled, scratching the back of his head. "You're really cool. I wish my mom was like this."

Jessica looked back at him and smiled, offering him a hand. "Well, you can come visit us any time you like, honey."

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"Mom? Are you in the kitchen?" A voice asked from the front door, it was followed by a series of footsteps, and finally Petunia appearing in the kitchen doorway. "You won't _believe _what happened today. So, Liv and me were walking down her street when this guy came up to us all of a sudden and asked us-" she stopped when she saw Sirius bent over examining the oven. "Ugh. What is the _freak _doing here? I thought my sister said she was going to take them somewhere."

"Petunia, he is not a freak," her mom scolded, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at her daughter. "It's Sirius, remember. And, yes, your sister went out with James."

"Hey there," Sirius said slyly, reaching out his hand and kissing Petunia's when she gave it to him. She frowned, pulling away and glaring at him making Sirius laugh.

"Why did they leave him here?"

"He is right there, Tuney. Why don't you ask him?"

"My company is so enjoyable, they thought having me around would ruin it for them. James wanted all of Lily's attention," Sirius answered winking at Petunia who rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

"I'm going to my room, mother. Call me when dinner's ready," she said before running up the stairs.

Sirius blinked, staring after her, and then turned to look at Jessica a lopsided grin on his lips. "I think your daughter doesn't quite like me."

Jessica laughed. "Don't worry, I hope she'll come around. Now, be a dear and hand me that cinnamon over there, will you?"


	5. Chapter Four

**UPSIDE DOWN  
****- CHAPTER FOUR –**

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**Disclaimer: **Nope. Still not mine.  
(A/N: Be an awesome reader and leave a review, yeah? =0)

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The sound of curtains being pulled apart wasn't as bad as the light pouring in through the open windows. And still, the light wasn't half as bad as the blow that was suddenly delivered to the top of his head. Sirius groaned, sitting up and glaring at the person who'd dared wake him up. He found James sitting at the bottom of the bed, watching him with a mix of amusement and worry in his face.

"Did you have to hit me?" he asked, massaging the back of his head.

"You wouldn't wake up. And you slept all day yesterday." James said, tilting his head sideways.

"I was having a good dream," Sirius informed him. "It was about girls. And I didn't sleep all day yesterday, I went to the grocery store with Lily's mom, and helped with dinner. I just went back to sleep before you came back – thanks for leaving me behind, by the way."

James rolled his eyes at him. "Lily took me to her favorite place. We had dinner."

"Yeah?" Sirius asked, sighing and fixing James with a level look, now fully awake. "And how did that go?"

"Good. She said she had a nice time." He cleared his throat. "I almost kissed her in the subway."

"Why didn't you?"

James was silent for a long time, staring up at the ceiling and the light that hung over the bed. _Why hadn't he kissed her? _Maybe, she would've kissed him back. She'd held his hand all the way back home, and she'd let him hug her…

"I didn't want to ruin the moment," he said finally, sitting up.

"You're a bloody idiot," Sirius said, turning around and pulling the covers over him. "You should've kissed her. Kiss her today, suggest she takes you to the park or something."

"You're mad," James muttered throwing a pillow at him.

"I'm not. But you _are _an idiot for not kissing her," he said, getting out of bed and stretching. "Anyway, I was just giving you a hard time about yesterday, I had a great time too. Lily's mom is really cool. Her sister is just weird, though, I tried flirting with her the whole night and she just ignored me."

"Padfoot?"

"Yeah?"

"She has a _fiancé_. Don't even think about it."

"It was just innocent flirting," he said shrugging. "Anyway, what are we doing today?"

James glared at him before getting up to walk toward the door. "_You_ are going to take a bath. And afterward I don't know."

**..ooO0Ooo..**

James walked into the backyard looking around for Lily. Her mother had said she was outside, but he couldn't see Lily anywhere.

"Could you wake him up?" Her voice said behind her and he turned around to smile at the source of her voice in surprise. She was sitting leaning against the house, a small pile of books sitting next to her.

James shrugged before sitting down in front of her. "It wasn't that hard, I have enough practice from six years of school."

"And a half," Lily corrected.

"And a half," he repeated. "What are you doing?" he asked picking up one of the books sitting by her side.

"Just reading," she said. "It's muggle fairytales," Lily added pointing to the book he was holding. "You can read it if you want."

James nodded, looking down at the book that was now in his lap. "I should've probably taken Muggle Studies. They sound interesting."

Lily smiled. "Well, we could go do some more muggle-touring if you want."

"That'd be nice," he said grinning back and leaning over to take small piece of hair out of her eyes, pulling back when their eyes met and she blushed, looking away.

Just then the door opened again and Sirius stepped out onto the porch, confusion and amusement mixing in his expression.

"Evans, your sister told me to tell you to make sure your friends use clothes as they walk out from the bathroom," he said, grinning down at Lily whose eyes widened as she looked at him.

"Mate, care to explain the reason behind that?" James asked, standing up – arms crossed – and glaring at him. Sirius shrugged, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"I forgot to take my clothes with me to the bathroom. So I just used a towel," He laughed, turning to look at Lily. "And your sister totally freaked."

Lily sighed. "Sirius, I thought we'd set some ground rules."

"Yeah, well, I can't help it. Every girl that meets me ends up falling for me – I'm just that handsome," he said slyly, wiggling his eyebrows. James laughed at this, reaching out to pat his friend's back.

"Yeah, mate, you wish."

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"So, Lily-kins," Sirius said, sticking his hands in his pockets and walking a bit faster to catch up with James and Lily who were walking a little bit ahead of him. "Where are you taking us?"

"You're going to get a little taste of muggle magic." Lily smiled looking back at him over her shoulder.

"Muggle magic?" James asked looking down at her curiously. "Does that even exist?"

"Kind of," she answered, reaching out to take his hand as they turned a corner. "Of course it's not magic, but they know how to do tricks and fortune-telling. It's really entertaining. You'll see."

Sirius smiled mischievously as a plan started to form in his head. If Lily was going to show them this 'muggle magic', there was no reason why he couldn't show her a little bit of 'Sirius magic' himself. After all, it had been a while since he'd played matchmaker and this two were turning out to be the perfect opportunity.

"Where _are _we, Lils?" James asked when he noticed their surroundings, pulling her a little closer to him and eyeing the street carefully.

"It's just a street I found a while ago. There's this fortune-teller – she's this really quirky old muggle lady. And there's a plaza a little way over there, there's street magicians and-"

"Wait," James interrupted frowning at her. "You came here _alone_? Are you out of your mind?"

"Lay off, mate," Sirius said waving his hand in front of him dismissively. "It's not like Lily can't take care of herself. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't care about the fortune-teller. Merlin knows we have enough of that with the one at school – she keeps telling me I'm going to die fighting," He laughed nervously, reaching out to ruffle his hear. "She's a weirdo. Anyway… how about it, Lily? Let's see what those street magicians are all about."

**..ooO0Ooo..**

"That wasn't real magic," Sirius informed the guy who'd just given the small bouquet of flowers to Lily, as he turned to examine the paper flowers Lily was holding. He gave a laugh before taking out his wand and looking at him again over his shoulder. "This is real magic," he said before making a real bouquet sprout from the tip of his wand and handing them to Lily.

"I don't really think that's a good idea, Padfoot," James whispered coming up behind him and casting a worried glance at his best friend and then one at Lily who was behind them, struggling to hide her giggles at the stunned face of the 'street-magician'. Sirius gave him a look, before pulling him a bit farther away.

"It's not like the guy will know we're using real magic," he muttered back, gesturing at the poor guy who was still examining the flowers Sirius had just given Lily open-mouthed.

James made a face, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Lily will."

"Lily will have a good time, I promise. Plus, if she hadn't wanted me to do anything, she would've stopped me – we both know that she's better at spells than the both of us."

"Fine," James muttered finally, risking one final glance over his shoulder at Lily and then turning back at Sirius with a nod.

"Hey! You!" Sirius shouted, turning around to face the guy, who was still examining the flower Sirius had given Lily, the already familiar mischievous grin forming on his face. "How about a challenge?" he told him, cocking his head slightly to the side, the grin now a full-blown smirk.

The guy turned to look at him, curiously. "A challenge." He laughed, taking of his hat. "What kind of challenge?"

"My magic is better than yours," Sirius said smugly. "Anyway, are you in? I'm Sirius," he added sticking his hand out.

The guy frowned, putting his hat back on and taking Sirius' hand. "Jason. What do I win?"

"You get to keep all the money from the performance."

"And if I lose?"

'I get your hat."

Jason chuckled. "Okay, so… if I win I get the money. And if I lose, I still get the money but I lose my hat."

"Exactly!"

"Fine. Count me in."

Sirius cackled, rubbing his hands together as he jumped onto a bench giving Lily a wink. "Listen all you common people," he said pointing his wand at his throat. "Gather 'round to witness the biggest event of the year. An epic battle between two great wizards in five minutes." He laughed again, jumping of the bench and turning around to look for Jason who was digging around a small box on the floor. "Hey, Jason!"

"What?"

Sirius walked over to him, risking a glance at James at Lily who had sat down on one of the benches and were talking. "So… I kinda need your help."

"With what?" Jason asked raising an eyebrow. Sirius resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the amount of stupid questions the guy made.

"See those two over there? The redhead and the fool that looks at her like she's a unicorn in disguise?" Jason laughed, nodding. "Well, I kinda need your help to get them to date. So, this is what we're going to do…"


	6. Chapter Five

**UPSIDE DOWN  
****- CHAPTER FIVE –**

**Disclaimer: **Nope. My 11:11 wish still hasn't come true. I'll keep on trying though…

(A/N: Thank you everyone for your reviews, favorites, and alerts. They really do mean a lot. =0)

* * *

"Are you sure this will work?" Jason asked rubbing his hands together anxiously as he alternated glances between Sirius and the audience that had already formed around them.

Sirius smiled. "On the contrary, my friend," he said casting him a sideways smirk. "I'm quite positive it won't."

"Good," Jason muttered, sounding half amused.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Sirius shouted taking a few steps forward, balancing his wand on his fingers with a sardonic smile and the air of knowing it all. "You are all gathered here today to experience the…" Sirius stopped then and laughed shaking his head almost as if to himself. "To hell with tat! You guys are here to have fun, right?" he smiled. "So let's start!" He pointed at Jason who was sitting on the edge of the fountain behind them, staring at his shoes.

He leaned down, to take something from his shoe and then glanced up again when he realized Sirius had stopped talking. He stood up with a hand on his hat with a smile and winked at the people who were staring at him expectantly.

"Hey there," he said, waving a little. "Let's show this dude some real magic, shall we?" He laughed taking off his hat and taking out a small stuffed bunny with a flourish. "He thinks he is all that… but…" he leaned down to hand the stuffed animal to Lily with a smile and a wink. "I'm so obviously better."

Sirius chuckled, pretending to brush dirt off the shoulder of his jacket. "That wasn't bad," he admitted. He chuckled pulling out a deflated hat from the inside of his jacket. He shook it so it went back to its original size before putting it on his head. "So, now, what was I going to do?" he asked almost as if to himself opening his jacket and fishing though his pocket. Out came some flowers, a necklace, a cat, a clock, a sword, a camera, a gun, and an umbrella… each followed by a muttered '_Not this' _or a '_This isn't what I need.' _ Finally, he muttered a triumphant: "Aha!" and pulled out a stuffed bunny similar to the one Jason had used. He turned around then to face him and laughed when he saw Jason was staring at him open mouthed. "I'm good, eh?" he laughed.

"Quite," Jason admitted clearing his throat. "But we're just getting started," he said, laughing. He took off his shoe and shook it making a bunch of tarot cards fly out and arrange themselves neatly on the floor at his feet, "How about some fortune telling, beautiful?" he asked bowing in front of lily and offering her the set of cards. James gave him a glare and shuffled closer to Lily in an almost imperceptible fashion.

She smiled picking a card and taking a look at it. "It's Lily."

"Lily," Jason repeated with a smile and a wink. "May I see that?"

"Here."

Jason took a look at the card, made a face and then threw the whole stack behind his shoulder. "I hate this things… I can never read shit…" He shrugged. "It was one of the good cards, though… I think…" he added, scratching his head. "Anyway," he continued tossing Lily a fortune cookie. "I much prefer this. They're much clearer – not to mention tastier… have you ever tried to eat a card? Let me tell you they're not nice…"

Lily laughed, cracking the cookie open and handing the little slip of paper to Jason. He took it and read it.

"It says here that you are going to spend the rest of your life with the man you love… " he pursed his lips. "Well that's no good, bet you already knew that, eh? I mean, look at the way your boyfriend looks at you…"

Lily blushed glancing at James quickly and shaking her head. "Oh, he's not…"

"He isn't?" Jason asked, taking a step back offended. "Well, what are you waiting for, Mr.? Ask her out come on…" he urged, giving James a slight shove. "We can eve make this a more romantic occasion…" he said, pulling out a violin from his pocket and starting to play.

"No, no wait!" Sirius interrupted, gripping Jason's shoulder and pulling him back. "That's no way to ask a lady out… how about some real music? And he'll need to be better dressed… and flowers… he needs flowers…."

"Yeah… you're right…" Jason mused. "Come on, man, you need to get ready." He said taking James hand and pulling him behind the stack of suitcases Sirius seemed to have made appeared out of nowhere.

"There ya go, mate," Sirius said tossing James a suit. "You should wear this…"

"What are you doing, pads?" James hissed as he tossed him his t-shirt and pulled the shirt on.

"Just trust me. This is a fool proof idea."

"I have no idea why I'm your friend… you have like this amazing ability of getting me into trouble…" James muttered, as he finished arranging the suit. "Plus, making Lily turn me down in front of all this people is certainly not going to earn you any brownie points."

"Relax, mate. This'll be fun, trust me." Sirius said smiling.

"I swear if this ends wrong…" James started. Sirius waved his hand in front of him dismissively.

"It won't. Trust me."

"Mate," James whined as he and Sirius came out of the pile of suitcases. "What the hell is this?" he asked gesturing to where Jason was kneeling to wind up a little set of tin musicians with a bunch of roses at his side.

"Trust me," Sirius repeated slowly giving him a little shove. "Now wait here," he added as he went to stand next to Lily. She raised an eyebrow at him when he offered a hand. "Come on, Lils. Humor me a little."

She sighed, narrowing his eyes and taking his hand. He smirked a little, nodding at Jason who gave him a thumbs-up before standing up and handing the flowers to James.

James took them, giving Sirius a glare before he walked over to Lily, he shrugged when he reached her and handed her the flowers. She smiled.

"Sirius couldn't be more obvious, you know?" she asked taking a step closer to him tilting her head to the side.

James chuckled. "Well, yeah… but I love him for it."

"So…?"

"So… wanna dance?" James asked as they heard the little tin musicians Jason had been winding up finally start playing and didn't really wait for Lily to say yes before he started twirling her around.

Jason straightened up; arms crossed, and went to stand next to Sirius with a smirk. "Guess your plan did work out," he muttered as they watched Lily and James twirling around out of tune as the rest of the audience laughed and clapped along. "It's kind of a shame, though… I was kind of hoping she'd turn him down." He shrugged when he noticed Sirius' glare. "She's really good looking," he muttered as way of explanation

"We're not done yet," Sirius said smiling. "Listen," He gives a few steps forward cupping his hands over his mouth. "Just ask her out already, mate. I didn't plan all this so you two could _dance_." He said the last word almost disdainfully and smirked when James turned to glare in his direction before turning back to Lily.

"Go to Hogsmeade with me?" he asked trying to ignore the very obvious prompting Sirius was doing.

"How about a movie?" she asked shrugging. "My treat."

"I have no idea what the hell a movie is, Evans," He scowled, twirling her around again "But I'm totally up for it. 'S long as you let me pay."

Lily smiled. "You've got yourself a deal, Potter." James smiled at this, stopped dancing and kind of gestured to the empty street with a wink before pulling Lily with him.

"Dude! I plan all this and the best you can come up with is a movie? Seriously?" Sirius laughed and James, not even bothering to turn around to face him, waved at him dismissively.

"Shut it, Pads!" He shouted and Sirius smirked.

"And now," Sirius adds turning to look at Jason again. "Now we are done. Wanna play some more magic tricks?"

Jason shrugs. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

(A/N: So what do you think? Do you guys want to read the date or skip right down to the consequences? Let me know in a review. ;)


	7. Chapter Six

**UPSIDE DOWN  
****- CHAPTER SIX –**

**Disclaimer: **Last time I checked I wasn't blond or living in London… so yeah….

(A/N: Thank you for your reviews, favorites, and alerts. They really do mean a lot. A special thanks goes to the anonymous reviewers cuz I can't answer directly =0)

* * *

"So, fess up. How much did you pay him?" Lily teased as they got into the train. James chuckled.

"Nothing. He did it all on his own," he teased right back, the corners of his mouth quirking up slightly.

"Really," Lily said. He grinned back at her, running a hand through his hair nervously as he watched people file into the train. It sometimes amazed him how creative this muggles were. No flying brooms? No problem, they had airplanes and helicopters. Not able to apparate? Who needed that when they had trains and cars and bikes?"

"I may have mentioned something about free peanut butter cookies for a year," he joked finally looking back at Lily again. "But it _was _his idea."

She laughed at this, bumping against him softly when the train started moving. And, really, the arm he wrapped around her waist was just to help her keep her balance. And that thing on his face when instead of puling away she rested her head on his chest? Totally not a smile.

"So a movie," James muttered after a while in an awkward attempt to break the silence. She smelled like vanilla and cherry and he was having trouble concentrating. "What is that anyway?"

"Like a TV show. Only longer."

"That's so cool!" James shouted. "Can we see something with guns and cars and zombies and hot chicks?" he asked and didn't even realize he'd pulled slightly away from her until he caught himself thinking that her eyes looked even prettier when she laughed. Merlin, he was whipped – and they weren't even dating.

"I don't know if there's anything on right now that has all of those," she said pulling away and taking his hand for him to follow her as they got out of the train. "But we can try."

"That's awesome, Lils," he said trying not to think anything of it when she intertwined their fingers and walked a little closer to him than before.

**o.o.0.O.0.o.o**

James had a really interesting array of facial expressions, Lily decided as he watched James face turn from amused, to confused, to angry as the movie in the screen in front of them played out. She didn't care much about the movie, anyway, and was not like James would notice her looking at him, she reasoned with herself when her eyes refused to leave his face.

"So… do they use real zombies there?" James asked after some dragged of the heroine and the scene changed to show the hero playing baseball and blissfully oblivious to what had just happened to his girlfriend. "Isn't that kind of dangerous?"

Lily's eyes snapped to the screen for a few seconds and then back to James face, who was looking at her, an eyebrow cocked in amusement. "No. Um…" she cleared her throat, uncomfortably. "They're not real. They do that with special effects and make up and stuff."

"Oh," James agreed nodding slightly. "Right." Lily doesn't think he notices when he reaches for her hand but she forces herself to pay attention to the movie (even if it's proving to be particularly boring as far as action movies go) because she can feel her cheeks turning an interesting shade of red, and she certainly doesn't need James to think it's because of him.

"Merlin, that guy is extremely stupid. Really, who thinks that you can kill a zombie like that, _everyone _knows you have to go for the head," she heard James mutter next to her after a few minutes and smiled slightly to herself. It's kind of cute how involved in the movie he was.

But then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a guy dressed in a zombie costume going around the room and scaring a few couples. Her hand tightened almost involuntarily around James' and he glanced down at her with a soft smile playing on his lips. The fluttering in her stomach was completely due to the fact that she knows that if James sees the zombie-costume-guy, he would cause a scene – and she didn't need that, right? Nothing to do with the smile and the way his eyes seemed to be glued to hers for what felt like whole minutes.

The moment was broken, though, when the zombie appears behind them, giving a small moan with hands outstretched, and James whirled around, already standing up and pulling Lily behind him before she even has had a chance to react.

"Lily," he muttered voice so soft she almost couldn't hear him. "Run." And before he'd even finished saying that he was already muttering a spell under his breath. Lily had never been more thankful for her quick reflexes as when she muttered _Expelliarmus _and then _Accio _to catch James' wand before she pulled James out of the cinema behind her.

"Lily! The muggles!" He half-shouted as he ran out behind her and the worried tone in his voice was enough to send her over the edge. As soon as they were out of the building she was leaning against the nearest wall, laughing like crazy and James was just staring at her wide-eyed, hands in his pockets, and head tilted slightly to the side almost as if he was trying to figure out if she was as crazy as she seemed at the moment.

"James?" Lily tried after her giggles had calmed down a little and met her eyes with his, amusement obvious in her futures. "That zombie was just a guy in a costume. This movie theatre is famous for doing stuff like that, but I forgot all about it until I saw the guy… and then, well…" And with that she was laughing again, but this time James was chuckling along with her – shaking his head and running a hand over his hair, looking almost sheepish.

"I'm really not good at all this muggle stuff, am I?" James asked scowling and Lily half-shrugged half-nodded at his statement.

"Not particularly. But you've lived with wizards all your life," she stopped to shrug again. "I probably was just as awkward as the first few weeks at Hogwarts."

James narrowed his eyes slightly, sitting down beside her. "Actually, you caught my attention because you fit right in – well, as well as anyone can having Snivellus for a friend," he added with a smirk, Lily rolled her eyes and hit his arm lightly.

"Don't call him that."

"Sorry," James said, in a tone that said he clearly didn't mean it and Lily rolled her eyes again at him.

"That show in the middle of the movie was really good, better than the movie itself if I do say so. Although why you wanted to see a movie like this in a place as fantastic and with so many more cultural and entertaining options as London beats me. If I didn't know any better I would think that the light coming out from that girls wand was real magic," A little-brunette woman said animatedly to the man who was walking next to her, hazel eyes glinting with amusement. "Of course, it was probably just really good special effects. Still, the acting was superb, I would know since I've been training since I was born. I won my first award at six months old, you know?"

"I know, babe," The man answered, the side of his mouth quirking up. She gave him an annoyed look before she caught sight of Lily and James staring up at them.

"Oh, look!" she said, jumping lightly on the balls of her feet. "You guys did wonderfully. You're amazing actors."

"Glad you liked it," James deadpanned, sharing a look with Lily who quirked her eyebrow lightly.

"Well, hope you have a good evening," The woman continued as the man wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him, whispering something in her ear. "Jesus! Do you have to be so _crass_?' she asked as they continued walking. The man laughed.

"It's our _honeymoon_, babe. I'm like, required, to be crass," The man answered as they turned around the corner.

Lily turned to look at James again, blinked once and then giggled a bit. "So, we're amazing actors."

"Amazing, indeed."

Lily smiled. "So… do you want to do anything else? I'm out of ideas of anything else muggle-y enough to show you."

"How about I show you a bit of wizard London instead?" James smiled standing up and offering her a hand. "Well, really, it's more like a bit of wizard Ireland. But it works, right?"

"Sounds good. Dinner's on you, though," Lily said taking his hand and pulling herself up. Her breath catching in her throat as they ended up a little-too-close together.

"Apparating in the middle of the street probably wouldn't be a good idea, would it?" he asked glancing down at her after they took a few steps apart awkwardly.

"No. Probably not. But seeing as we're amazing actors," Lily said grinning. "We can probably pull it off."

* * *

(A/N: Hey there! Sorry I took so long updating… but I had like a month straight of exams and when I had free time I used it to sleep, so sorry. Anyway, I have some good news, two actually:

1. You have an option again: Do you want to skip down to the consequences or see how Sirius' night was?

, under an unexpected attack of craziness – and by that I mean my friends – I was half-forced to watch a TV show that turned out not be as bad as I'd expected – it's quite good, actually, except for the pairings which are all over the place and not quite as good as they could be – by which I mean, they don't realize the chemistry that exists between some characters and doesn't between others… Anyway, I wrote two of the characters into the chapter (yeah, the couple) and if you're the first to guess who they are I will write a one-shot personally for you, any theme, any character.

So, thanks again. :)


	8. Chapter Seven

**UPSIDE DOWN  
****- CHAPTER SEVEN –**

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

(A/N: I can't believe the amount of alerts and favorites this story has been getting. Thank you all for your support :)

* * *

"Sirius," James moaned next morning, rubbing a hand over his face and opening and eye. "Why the hell are you making so much noise?"

Sirius groaned, not even bothering to look up from James trunk, which he was rummaging in, tossing James clothes and books around.

"What the fuck, dude?" James asked, after he'd sat down on the bed, looking around at the mess Sirius had managed to create around the room. "Sweet, Merlin. What did you lose?"

Sirius finally looked up then, the very image of madness. With the top buttons of his shirt undone, his tie hanging askew and a few red marks decorating the skin of his neck and down the length of his shirt. His hair was mused and messy and there were dark circles under his gray eyes. James knew he hadn't gone mad only because Sirius was still wearing clothes and everyone in the house was alive. (He hoped.)

"My wand! I can't find my wand! I can't find my bloody wand!" he shouted coming over to where James was sitting in the bed, pulling at his hair. "I lost my wand!"

"Where?"

Sirius gave him a blank look, letting go of his hair. "Well, I don't bloody know. It would not be lost if I knew where it was."

James made a face, getting up and reaching for his pants. "Right. Okay. What did you do last night?"

"Girls," Sirius answered with a lewd smile. "That magician guy took me to a bar. I think he was gay, actually. But _damn _muggle English girls are an eleven out of a ten."

"Really."

Sirius shrugged trying to appear nonchalant as he took James' wand to arrange his friend's clothes back into the trunk. "So, anyway? How was _your _night?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and pointing the wand at James mouth, using it as some sort of microphone.

James raised an eyebrow. "It was good. But seriously, mate, your wand is lost. How the hell can you care about my night?"

"I'm still drunk. So drunk," Sirius sing-sang, "I had like twenty beers and some whiskeys and then some…. Somethings. They were really good, like colorful mushy squares. But the _girls_, Prongs. We have to go there for your bachelor party."

"When did you get back, anyway?" James asked, taking his wand back from Sirius' hand and using it to make the beds and search Sirius' trunk for the wand.

"Something like twenty minutes ago," Sirius said, and then smiled mischievously. "Found Lily dancing around." He stopped, looking at James who was now glaring at him. "In her _underwear_. She's hot."

James growled, using his wand to toss everything in Sirius' trunk to him. "That's my girl you're taking about, mate. Watch it."

"Touchy," Sirius giggled getting up and reaching for his friend, apparently intending to give him a hug. But just then Lily threw open the door, eyes widening when she saw the mess in the room.

"Um…" James started awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck while shaking his wand to clean the room. "Hi, Lils," he said after, giving her a smile and leaning toward her, a little.

"Hi, James," she answered. "Sirius, your wand is in the kitchen," she said casually.

Sirius looked between James and Lily for a while and then smiled. "Oooh! I get it, you're throwing me out. It's good, it's all good. I'll go steal cookies or harass your sister or something," he muttered, trying to sound hurt as he walked toward the door. "James and Lily sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love…" he sang giggling like a middle-schooler as he disappeared down the stairs.

"I'm sorry about that," James said pointing behind him with his thumb as Lily turned to look at him again with a half smile. "He's drunk."

She smiled. "Oh, I know. He came in about half an hour ago singing something about a butterfly. And then he asked me if I was a broom."

"What?"

"Because I was sweeping him off his feet," Lily clarified, giggling a little. James scowled, shaking his head.

"Smug bastard," he muttered, looking over Lily's shoulder at the stairs Sirius had just gone down through.

"So…" Lily started as she walked toward one of the beds and plopped herself down. "My parents invited your parents for a barbeque tomorrow. Apparently, they want to get to know them…"

"Wait. Wait, wait," Sirius said, suddenly reappearing in the bedroom eyebrows knit together. "Are you two going out already? Or did you just like… kiss? Or was it more like a full blown snogging session. I heard the American name for that a while ago… something like making out? So… anyway… what are we talking about here?" He stopped when he noticed the look James and Lily were giving him. "Fine, fine. I'll figure it out on my own," he muttered placing his hands in front of himself and slowly backing out of the room.

So, now, Sirius Black had a mission. A mission that could be explained in six easy-to-do steps: 1) Get the drunkenness out of his system, Sirius Black being drunk for more than a night was not cool at all. But he didn't trust his brain to perform a sobering spell on himself right now, so he would have to ask Lily for help on that one. 2) sk Lily's mom if he could please, please, _please _have Remus over for lunch (he was at least 60% sure that his friend was back from America) 3) Ask around, find out if anyone had seen or noticed anything interesting. (That mainly meant Lily's mom, her sister… which would probably lead nowhere, but he was _Sirius Black _for Merlin's beard… and Lily's dad) 4) Figure out what the hell his two friends (Lily was totally his friend already) had been up to last night and 5) If nothing had happened between his two best friends last night, make sure something happened before they left tomorrow afternoon. 6) Remind everyone of how freaking awesome he was.

Easy, right? Plus, he was Sirius Black, he was AWESOME. That was like one sixth of the plan already completed. He nodded to himself, and walked back into the room he had been sharing with James for the week. He could _do _this.

* * *

Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. This school year has been crazy... but ANYWAY... This story should be done in about 2 more chapters, so thanks for sticking through it, for your support, the reviews, the alerts, and the favorites this story has been getting. You guys are awesome.


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